AP - The European Union will postpone talks scheduled with Russia this month on a wide-ranging political and economic agreement unless Russian troops pull back from positions in Georgia in line with a cease-fire agreement, French President Nicolas Sarkozy says.

AFP - The euro on Monday fell below 1.45 dollars for the first time since February as the market anticipated lower interest rates in the eurozone, with inflation concerns easing amid tumbling oil prices.

AFP - The economy of the 15 nations sharing the euro contracted in the second quarter for the first time since the bloc was formed in 1999, according to a second official EU estimate on Wednesday.

Reuters - Asian shares fell to new two-year lows on Thursday as further signs of a slowing global economy -- from the United States to the euro zone -- hit export-dependent sectors such as technology.

AP - German industrial production fell 1.8 percent in July compartede with June, with the three main categories of output showing declines, the ministry of the economy said Friday.

AFP - Foreign firms are keeping a close watch on the fate of Coca-Cola's bid for Chinese juice producer Huiyuan, as suspicions about economic nationalism are on the rise, a European business group said Tuesday.

AFP - The 15 countries sharing the euro are teetering on the brink of recession, the European Commission said on Wednesday, slashing its economic forecasts.

AFP - The euro fell to a fresh one-year low against the dollar in Asian trade Thursday on renewed fears over the health of the European economy, dealers said.

AP - Germany warned Friday that an economic stimulus package for Europe 'would only burn up money' as EU finance ministers started talks on how they could lift economies that are flirting with recession.

AFP - EU finance ministers clashed Saturday on whether to shake up European sales tax rules to allow especially reduced rates for targetted services and products.

AFP - The crisis roiling the financial sector will probably grind on for some time, but European banks should be able to avert serious trouble, EU finance chiefs said.

AP - Major European central banks pumped yet more billions in short-term credit into the financial system Tuesday in an effort to shore up confidence in the aftermath of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s bankruptcy and the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America Corp.

AFP - The European economy will suffer collateral damage from the crisis roiling the financial sector, although the extent of the fallout remains to be seen, ministers and analysts warned on Wednesday.

AP - Europe's major central banks banded together with their counterparts in Japan, the U.S. and Canada on Thursday to inject more U.S. dollars into global money markets in a bid to stave off the growing global financial crisis.

AP - A food crisis and economic turmoil are threatening to scuttle U.N. goals to halve extreme poverty around the world by 2015, according to an EU report released Friday.

AFP - The recent economic downturn could push the European Union to adopt more modest ambitions in its fight against climate change.

AP - Italian aviation authorities were meeting with Alitalia's bankruptcy administrator on Monday to see if the long-ailing airline has enough money to keep flying more than a few days.

Reuters - Those responsible for the crisis that has swept global financial markets should be punished, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said overnight in his first reaction to the latest bout of economic turmoil.

AP - German business confidence has hit a more than three-year low as manufacturers in Europe's biggest economy are becoming increasingly pessimistic about their export prospects amid world market turbulence, a closely watched survey found Wednesday.

AP - European Union trade commissioner Peter Mandelson and China's commerce minister called Thursday for closer trade ties between their giant economies but announced no breakthroughs in talks on import controls and other disputes.

AP - Fortis NV plans to raise up to $14.6 billion by selling assets in a move to improve its financial underpinnings, the chief executive of the Dutch-Belgian banking and insurance company said Friday, seeking to reassure customers and investors.

AP - In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy says the death knell has rung for freewheeling, U.S.-style capitalism. German's finance minister calls it downright 'dangerous.' Even the leader of more Wall Street-friendly Britain says financiers need closer watching, maybe on a global scale.

AP - Belgium will guarantee the safety of all retail deposits at Fortis NV, a leading politician said Sunday, as top European financial officials gathered in Brussels to discuss the troubled bank.

AP - Fortis NV said Monday it will become a smaller but financially stable bank after three European governments agreed on an 11.2 billion euro ($16.4 billion) bailout package.

AP - Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that her governing conservatives must focus on the economy and education in the wake of a dramatic loss for her allies in Bavaria that could bode ill for her in national voting next year.